Henry Cavill's career has finally come full circle - exactly 11 years after first receiving acting advice from veteran Russell Crowe, the two are to star as father and son in the new Superman film.

A teenage Cavill was attending boarding school in England when Crowe arrived on location to shoot the movie Proof of Life. The aspiring British actor received a walk-on role as an extra in the film and, after completing his scene, he spoke with the Gladiator star about life in the spotlight.

He says, "I had been doing school plays and stuff and so I walked up to Russell and I asked him, you know, 'What's it like to be an actor?' And he said, 'Well you know it's great. Sometimes they treat you great, sometimes they don't. And the money's pretty good too.' And then everyone came running up and I waved, and I said, 'Quick, run!' Because they were all looking for autographs.

"And two days later I got a signed picture of him in Gladiator saying, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'"

And role model Crowe is now playing Cavill's dad, Jor-El, in upcoming movie Man of Steel.

The Brit adds, "At the end of that journey of a thousand miles, that first journey, he's there as well."